Cloth impregnating machine

ABSTRACT

A machine for continuously impregnating a web of cloth with a resin mixture has a bed over which the web of cloth passes. Accelerated resin and catalysed resin are supplied by a pump through pairs of transverse slots in the bed to the lower surface of the web and the resin mixture is worked into the web by circumferentially grooved power driven rollers contacting the upper surface of the web which also advance said web along the bed. At the output end of the bed the web passes around a plain power driven roller and is doubled back beneath the bed to pass around a longitudinally grooved delivery roller from which the web is dispensed vertically downwards.

United States Patent 1 Collis [111 3,724,419 1 Apr. 3, 1973 [54] CLOTH IMPREGNATING MACHINE [75] Inventor: Michael Edward Richard Collis,

21 Appl. No.: 66,306

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data 2,843,505 7/1958 Riedel ..118/56 X 3,326,181 6/1967 Killeen ..l18/411 3,407,786 10/1968 Beyer et al.... ..1 18/411 X Primary Examiner-John P. McIntosh Azt0rneyNorris & Bateman [57] ABSTRACT A machine for continuously impregnating a web of cloth with a resin mixture has a bed over which the web of cloth passes. Accelerated resin and catalysed Aug. 30, 1969 Great Britain ..43,283/69 resin are supplied by a pump through pairs of transverse slots in the bed to the lower surface of the web [52] US. Cl ..l18/119, 118/411 and the resin mixture is worked into the web by cir- ..B05c cumferentiany grooved power driven rollers Contact- [58] Field of Search ..l18/410, 411, 412, 56, 119; m the upper surface f the web which also advance 28/74 said web alon the bed. At the out ut end of the bed 8 P the web passes around a plain power driven roller and [56] Reterences Cited is doubled back beneath the bed to pass around a lon- UNITED STATES PATENTS gitudinally grooved delivery roller from which the web is dispensed vertically downwards. 147,300 2/1874 Wollmuth ..l18/4l2 2,356,666 8/1944 Hamilton ..118/410 11 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 2,558,084 6/1951 Gwinn ..ll8/411 ZZ*\ bl 2y Z? 27 4 4 /4== J /7,; 6 Q [I A 13 o O Z2- i- J I) y 951 22 I o l if ,9 0 5 7 79 0 9 4'5 24 47 9 J6 J7 4/ 4/\ 2 L O J-- 0 FA ii H PATENTEDAPR3 I975 3.724.419

SHEET 2 or 2 12 29 8 Z i i w Inventor:

Michael Edward Richard Collis Attorn y 72m 7 M CLOTH IMPREGNATING MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a machine for continuously impregnating a web of cloth, for example glass cloth, woven rovings or the like, with a resin mixture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 1 According to the invention, a machine for continuously impregnating a web of cloth with a resin mixture comprises stationary means for applying the mixture to one side of the web and a plurality of rollers located on, and contacting, the other side thereof to work the mixture into and through the cloth.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a cloth impregnating machine;

FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof;

FIG. 1A is an enlarged schematic view illustrating the undulating bed and roller arrangements; and

FIG. 1B is an enlarged fragmentary view in elevation showing the longitudinal grooving of the delivery roller.

Referring now to the drawings, a cloth impregnating machine comprises a frame having secured to it a horizontal bed 11 the surface of which is slightly undulating as shown in FIG. 1A. At the input end of the bed 11, there is provided a spindle 13 carrying a roll 12 of glass cloth, the end portions of said spindle being supported on rollers 14 which are rotatably mounted on the frame 10. A web 15 of glass cloth is drawn from the roll 12 and passes first between two guide rollers 16 of small diameter which are rotatably mounted on the frame 10, next between a plain idling roller 17 and the surface of the bed 11, and then between a circumferentially grooved idling roller 18 and said surface. The rollers 17, 18 are journalled at their ends in bearings secured to the bed 11, the roller 18 being positioned at the lowest point of one of the undulations in said bed. After passing between the bed 11 and the roller 18, the web 15 passes over a pair of transverse slots 19, 20 in the bed 11 which are positioned at the highest point of one of the undulations therein and beneath a plate 2] extending transversely across the bed 1 1 over said slots. Each end of the plate 21 is connected to the bed 11 by spring-loaded clamps 22 which urge said plate towards the bed. As the web 15 of glass cloth advances towards the output end of the bed 11 from beneath the plate 21, it passes between a circumferentially grooved power driven roller 23 and the bed 11, over a further pair of transverse slots 24, 25 in the bed 11 and beneath a plate 26 which extends transversely across the bed 11 over said slots and is connected at its ends by spring-loaded clamps 27 to said bed, and finally between a circumferentially grooved power driven roller 28 and the bed 11, after which said web proceeds to the output end of said bed. Each of the rollers 23, 28 is positioned at the lowest point of one of the undulations in the bed 11, and the slots 24, 25 are positioned at the highest point of one of the undulations therein. At the output end of the bed 11, the web 15 of impregnated glass cloth passes around a power driven plain roller 29 of large diameter, doubles back beneath the output end of said bed and then passes around a longitudinally grooved delivery roller 30 (FIG. 1B) from which it is dispensed vertically downwards. Two resin tanks 31, 32 (see FIG. 2) containing respectively an accelerated resin and a catalyzed resin are each suspended from the frame 10 by a spring balance 33. Said tanks are connected by pipes 34 to a pump 35 0 which in turn is connected by pipes 36 to the slots 19,

20, 24 and 25 in the bed 11. The pump 35 is of the type having a rotor (not shown) which acts upon four flexible pipes 37 to progressively deform said pipes as said rotor rotates, thus causing resin to be pumped through them. The pipe 34 from the tank 31 is connected via two of the flexible pipes 37 to the pipes 36 connected to the slots 19 and 2A in the bed 11, and the pipe 34 from the tank 32 is connected via the two other pipes 37 to the pipes 36 connected to the slots 20 and 25 in the bed 11. The rotor of the pump 35 is driven by an electric motor (not shown) via a speed transmission unit (not shown) which is infinitely variable between predetermined limits and is controlled by a hand lever 38 at the output end of the bed 11. An electric motor 39 is drivably connected via another speed transmission unit (not shown), which is infinitely variable between predetermined limits and is controlled by a hand lever 40 at the output end of the bed 11, a torque limiting device (not shown) and a drive train comprising a chain drive 41, a right angled gear drive unit 42, a shaft 43 and a right angled gear drive unit 44 to the roller 29. The rollers 23, 28 are drivably connected by a drive train (not shown) to the electric motor 39 via the infinitely variable speed transmission unit and the torque limiting device associated with said motor. The respective speed transmission ratios of the drive train associated with the roller 29 and the drive train associated with the rollers 23, 28 are such that the peripheral speeds of all three of said rollers are equal. One end of the roller 17 is drivably connected to a gear unit 45 mounted on the bed 11. Said unit is connected by a flexible driving cable 46 to a meter 47 which records the length of glass cloth dispensed from the roll 12 and is located adjacent the delivery end of the bed 11. The delivery roller 30 is pivotable in an are about bearings 48 by means of a lifting bar 49 in order to vary the angle at which the web 15 of glass cloth leaves the roller 29 and passes to the delivery roller 30.

In operation, the electric motor 39 drives the rollers 23, 28 and 29 via the associated infinitely variable speed transmission unit and torque limiting device, and said rollers draw the web 15 of glass cloth from the roll 12 and advance it along the bed 11 of the machine at a speed which can be varied by changing the ratio of said transmission unit by means of the hand lever 40. The lower surface of the web 15, adjacent the bed 11, is supplied with accelerated resin from the slots 19 and 24 and with catalyzed resin from the slots 20 and 25. The delivery rate of accelerated resin and catalyzed resin from the slots 19, 20, 24 and 25 is dependent upon the speed of rotation of the pump 35 which can be varied by changing the ratio of the infinitely variable speed transmission unit, via which said pump is driven, by means of the hand lever 38. The ratio of the delivery rate of accelerated resin relative to the delivery rate of catalyzed resin is, however, fixed as this controls the gelatinization time of the resin mixture. The circumferentially grooved rollers 23, 28 not only assist in advancing the web 15 of glass cloth along the bed 1 1, but also work the resin mixture into and through said web without causing the mixture to build up behind said rollers which could occur if plain rollers were used. The delivery rate of the resin mixture and the speed of advance of the web 15 of glass cloth along the bed 11 are so inter-related by the operator that the resin mixture tends not to reach the upper surface of the web 15 until said web reaches the roller 29 at the output end of the bed 11. Any of the resin mixture which drips from the output end of the bed 11, or from the web 15 of glass cloth as it passes around the roller 29, falls on to said web where it is doubled back beneath the output end of the bed before passing around the delivery roller 30 from which it is dispensed vertically downwards. The

spring balances 33 are used to indicate the amount of resin remaining in the tanks 31, 32 and the meter 47 indicates the length of resin impregnated glass cloth dispensed by the machine.

When a thicker web of glass cloth is to be impregnated with resin, additional driven rollers and pairs of slots are provided on the bed 11 of the machine between the roller 28 and the roller 29.

An additional roll 12 of glass cloth is mounted on the frame in the position shown in broken lines in FIG. 1 of the drawings, to facilitate continuity of production.

What I claim is:

1. A cloth impregnating machine for continuous impregnation of a web of material with a resin mixture, comprising in combination,

a. a bed along which the web is caused to advance along a path,

b. drive means for advancing the web along said path,

0. at least one stationary applicator mounted in said bed across the web path at one side only of the web path, the or each applicator being providing with adjacent but separate ducts arranged to substantially simultaneously and separately supply components of the resin mixture at one side of the web,

d. a plurality of working rollers mounted across the web path arranged to contact and press on the web to work the mixture through the web,

. said working rollers being mounted on the op posite side of the web path to the or each applicator, whereby the components of the resin mixture are together forced into the web, the components are mixed by movement of the web relative to a said working roller, and the web is compressed by the working rollers to spread the mixture through the web and allow the mixture to permeate the whole web during travel along said path.

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the bed has slight undulations along its length.

3. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the resin components supplied through said ducts are accelerated resin and catalyzed resin.

4. A machine according to claim 3, wherein means is provided for fixing the rate of feed of the accelerated resin relative to that of the catalyzed resin.

5. A machine according to claim 1, wherein means is provided for varying the rate of advance of the web along the bed.

A machine according to claim 1, wherein means 18 provided for varying the rate of feed of the resin mixture.

7. A machine according to claim I, wherein adjacent ducts terminate in pairs of transverse slots spaced at intervals along the length of the bed.

8. Amachine according to claim 1, wherein the rollers for working the resin mixture into and through the cloth are power driven, a power driven roller of large diameter is located at the output end of the bed, and a delivery roll is provided below the large diameter roll, the impregnated web passing in turn over said large diameter and delivery rolls.

9. A machine according to claim 8, wherein the delivery roller is adjustable in position to vary the angle at which the web leaves the power driven roller of large diameter.

10. A machine according to claim 8, wherein the delivery roller is longitudinally grooved.

11. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the rollers for working the resin mixture into and through the cloth are circumferentially grooved. 

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the bed has slight undulations along its length.
 3. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the resin components supplied through said ducts are accelerated resin and catalyzed resin.
 4. A machine according to claim 3, wherein means is provided for fixing the rate of feed of the accelerated resin relative to that of the catalyzed resin.
 5. A machine according to claim 1, wherein means is provided for varying the rate of advance of the web along the bed.
 6. A machine according to claim 1, wherein means is provided for varying the rate of feed of the resin mixture.
 7. A machine according to claim 1, wherein adjacent ducts terminate in pairs of transverse slots spaced at intervals along the length of the bed.
 8. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the rollers for working the resin mixture into and through the cloth are power driven, a power driven roller of large diameter is located at the output end of the bed, and a delivery roll is provided below the large diameter roll, the impregnated web passing in turn over said large diameter and delivery rolls.
 9. A machine according to claim 8, wherein the delivery roller is adjustable in position to vary the angle at which the web leaves the power driven roller of large diameter.
 10. A machine according to claim 8, wherein the delivery roller is longitudinally grooved.
 11. A machine according to claIm 1, wherein the rollers for working the resin mixture into and through the cloth are circumferentially grooved. 